A Bit of Scandinavian Crime Fiction: The Ice Princess and Sun Storm

Earlier this fall I dived deeply into Scandinavian crime fiction. We are talking a bit beyond the Steig Larsson Millennium series. (Although those were good too.) 

Camilla Lackberg has been labeled the next Swedish crime queen. (You'll find out she is not the only one who has been labeled thusly!) The Ice Princess starts out a bit gruesome with a shocker and gets better. She sets her story in a tiny village (which gave her some comparisons to Agatha C.) with her heroine - Erica - coming back to town after the deaths of her parents. One of her former schoolmates Alex dies - was it a suicide? - no - it was murder. But Alex was the local glamour girl who had everything - looks, wealth, and position. But as Erica starts to write about her, she soon uncovers that everything is not as it appears to be. And her memories of a good childhood are being tested by the realization that others in her classroom had been in hell. The secondary story of her classmate Patrik, who happens to be the police detective investigating the case, and how their work collides and their relationship blossoms, adds a depth and a warmth to the story. A great story of uncovering the evil that lies beneath... A good read.

Asa Larsson writes about the area of Sweden that sits above the Arctic circle in the book Sun Storm. Her heroine Rebecka is called back to her hometown, Kiruna, when she learns that the leader of the town's largest revivalist church has been murdered. Now a tax attorney, she was once a member of that church community, and we learn more about Rebecka's past through flashbacks and the villagers who still remember her. Was it the jealous religious elders who killed their leader? Was it an outsider? The church has made the community wealthy. Where is all the money going? Rebecka finds herself taking care of the leader's sister who seems helpless, or is she just manipulative? Rebecka is a great character who Larsson allows us to see in bits and pieces.  As she asks the questions,  she makes others very nervous. A good read. I'm looking forward to seeing how Larsson continues Rebecka's story in the next book.

Yep - Fallen Behind Again

I've been reading a great deal. Kinda surprising since I have posted nothing! Yikes. Gotta get back into the saddle again.

Meanwhile - here are a few discussion topics: So are e-readers bringing in more new readers or just switching the formats that people read in? Are they just the latest tech gadgets that everyone has to have? And has anyone thought about whether these readers are even vaguely recyclable?

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Meet the gang at McQuarrie Middle School. There's Tommy our narrator, who has a crush on Sara.  Kellen is his best bud and there is Harvey who is a bit of a sceptic. And then there's Dwight. He is an oddball and always in trouble, but he has made an origami Yoda. It fits on his finger. And his Yoda talks. And Yoda offers advice, when he is not quoting from his movies. Tommy would dismiss Dwight as a strange dork (Harvey thinks he's a weirdo!) - but his Yoda's wisdom starts making sense and things start happening. Is Yoda for real? Or is this just a scam?

Read Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and find out the rest of Tommy's story and his case book of Yoda adventures. Is Origami Yoda just a piece of paper?

This is a great story for Star Wars fans old and young alike. (And hard-core fans will catch some of the more obscure Star Wars references.) Angleberger, his drawings, the graphics and typefaces make it feel if you are reading Tommy's notebook (with comments from Kellen and Harvey, of course.) It's a fun frothy read. And I just found out there is gonna be a sequel! Squee!

P.S. And if you are really talented - there are origami Yoda folding instructions in the back of the book!

Organize Your Corpses : Murder and More

Mary Jane Maffini does it again! Another great mystery series!
This series is set in upstate New York, with a fun group of characters and some interesting situations... I never thought that being an professional organizer had such dangerous overtones.

Our heroine, Charlotte Adams, a 5-foot tall professional organizer, who is a bit obsessed with order. Yes, this is a woman who organizes her spice rack. But you will like her anyway. Part of the fun of these books is Charlotte and her group of friends. They were the misfits together in high school, and now that they have grown and Charlotte has come back to her home town it is interesting to see how their relationships have developed.

And Charlotte picks up some new friends along the way - her helper is a multi-pierced young gal with colored hair, but who has a flair for organizing and a good work ethic. And then there is her senior citizen friend Rose, who can be relied on for gossip about her latest suspects and a fresh batch of cookies.

And there is Jack, her best bud, landlord, and pusher of stray dogs. Yep, we have some dogs in this series. The fun part is the dogs are believable and funny. If you like bad dogs that is. They even have their own storyline - Charlotte is determined that they will pass their therapy dog class. And we get to see their progress throughout the stories.

Maybe the best part of these books is Charlotte's job psychology. It is cool to see how she finds out about a person and their habits through what is in their closet. And how much is learned by our messy ways...(But then I thought that was the best part of the old TLC show Clean Sweep.) When I first started this series - I admit I was a bit sceptical about the organizer job part - but I have found that Maffini has really incorporated it smoothly into the story.  Now if I can only get Charlotte to my closets..

So for a good mystery, with some original characters, and a bit of a thrill (in some of the books), a bit of romance, and some dogs, come on over to Charlotte's world. You will have a good time. They are fun reads!

They are best read in order:

Organize Your Corpses (2007)

The Cluttered Corpse (2008)

Death Loves a Messy Desk (2009)

Closet Confidential (2010)

The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder (2011) 

For more on Maffini's other series - look here.

Mama Does Time

Florida native, Deborah Sharp does her home state proud with her book Mama Does Time. Mama's home town of Himmarshee is not necessary the touristy part of the state, but she makes news when a body is discovered in the back of her car when she is at the Dairy Queen. When Mace, her middle daughter gets her Mama's phone call, she tries to spring into action, even though she had just settled down to "wanting to see if she could spot any of her ex-boyfriends on Cops."

Now Mama is southern damsel in distress - what is she going to do in jail (besides making friends with her purple haired cellmate)?  With the help of her cousin, the lawyer, Mace gets Mama out and shows the new detective in town (the one from Miami) what chaos really is. Mace and her sisters try to get Mama out of her mess and manage to involve most of the town, including Mama's latest fiance ( a Northerner!), who is wanting to be spouse number five!

Filled with southern humor, quirky characters, and goofy family dynamics, Sharpe takes us along for a roller coaster ride of fun. And there is a pretty good mystery too! I'm looking forward to the sequels! A fun frothy read at its finest...

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City

David Lebovitz was a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. He decided at one point to move to Paris. His adjustment to living in a foreign country became the material for his blog. His book, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City is based on some posts from that blog and more.

While Lebovitz offers some lovely recipes and advice on where to go in Paris, the book is really not a travelogue.  It is more of a expat's love letter to his adopted city, even when he thinks it is a wacky place.  Some points of fun: he earns more respect from his neighborhood vendors after it is found out he is a pastry chef, how customer service is non existent in certain shops, giant French supermarkets vs local markets, and the joys of French cheese and chocolate.

Written with gentle humor, Lebovitz encourages the reader to come over to his side of the pond to experience it all for themselves.  Or at least buy some French cheese and chocolate to munch on while reading it! A Francophile's dream and a fun read.

Murder at the MLA

Is it a skewer of academia or is it a mystery? D.J.H. Jones' book Murder at the MLA is a little bit of both.

The setting is at a convention hotel in Chicago. The convention is the yearly gathering of the Modern Language Association. It is an event attended by English Literature professors, English departments looking for graduate candidates, and candidates looking for jobs from across the country.

As the convention begins - there is an accident- a professor falls over the railing into the lobby. But is it murder? But then a hiring group from Wellesley gets poisoned from their coffee and one dies. Are the two deaths connected? When the detectives come in - they realize they need some background in this world of publish or perish. And they enlist an assistant professor to be their guide.

The author does a great job with their characters (although the third person omniscient point of view is occasionally disconcerting - but funny sometimes) and they make the reader care about the characters and you want them to succeed with the case. The author (one doesn't know whether it is a he or a she) manages to make quite a statement or two about the status of English literature trends in teaching, the fact that universities are so willing to use up young academics and toss them when it comes time to get tenure, and how some of the trendy teachers are just plain ridiculous. And that the parents and students are paying tuition for it!

A fun mystery about academics! And some nice details about Chicago. Give it to the English major in your life! A fun read.

Bossypants

Tina Fey's Bossypants is really a series of sketches. Sketches about how she grew up - bit and pieces. Chapters about her parents - bit and pieces. And how Second City, SNL and 30 Rock work - bit and pieces. She gives us a good tale, punches it up with some laughs and moves on the the next topic - which makes this book a very fast read. And an enjoyable one. It really is. She really has a nack for showing her reader that she is just like us - and just lucky.

I think my favorite part of the book - besides the essay on child rearing (The Mother’s Prayer for Its Daughter) which can be found wandering online - is where she tells us how hard it was to break the comedy barriers that were still around by the time she got to Second City. She was part of one of the first casts to have an equal number of men and women on it. Before her cast apparently, they had only needed two women to be funny. As someone who knows several funny women, and has worked and performed with some more, I find that insulting to our gender.

I thought she was very polite about gender politics at SNL. It is obvious she still works with them and is on the NBC Network. But you can tell she is thrilled that sketches with just female members of the cast get on the air. And her chapters about "becoming Sarah Palin" are interesting. She comments how she was never good at doing impressions - mostly because she never 'looked' like anyone famous, and then this happens. She just got lucky.

Lucky my eye! The woman has talent! A very fun read, but I wished it was longer!

Dead Reckoning

Charlaine Harris does it again.  A solid book. Funny thoughts from our girl Sookie. (I really think that is why I can not bear to see the TV show. I just love her inner dialog in the books.) And more trouble than you can shake a stick at.

If you haven't started these -- do it from the beginning. Sookie's life is a roller coaster ride and this title Dead Reckoning just keeps the crazy happening. I do not think that anyone could pick this one up and jump in. But I'm so entrenched in the Sookieverse, maybe I'm blind. 

This title is a 'filler" series title. What I mean by that, is that some longer plot lines are wrapped up, some seem to be just beginning, and of course all heck breaks loose at least once or twice. (Okay - my favorite part of this book  is Sookie planning a for a mjaor vampire fight and a baby shower at the same time!) And then there are those teases of plots that are yet to come... This title may not move the series and the characters along with leaps and bounds, but these books tend to have a lot buried in them that you notice later... We will see.

Great book. Great series. A fun frothy read!

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

When Holly's Grandmother Camilla dies, she inherits her business - a cooking school, and her house, but does she inherit her 'second sight'? In The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate, that is the question her small Maine town neighbors want to know. But Holly has had problems in her own life, and can't make a marinara sauce. She's not too sure that continuing the cooking school is such a good idea after all. But when she has four students sign up for classes, she decides to give it a try.

Senate does a great job at creating a small town community where everyone knows about everyone else's business. And Holly discovers that her grandmother's life was not all joy and roses. Filled with great characters and greater descriptions of food (you will be craving Italian after this one - trust me), the reader will enjoy reading about Holly's struggles in the kitchen, glimpses of Camilla's strength, and their cooking students growth, both in the kitchen and in their personal lives.

Makes one want to take an Italian cooking class if they are going to be that cool. A fun and frothy read.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

I discovered this book from an excerpt in The Best Food Writing 2008. I was impressed by the writing and thought the concept of going to a university in China was pretty bold for an English girl. But that what was thought I learned from the excerpt. But when I actually got the whole book, it was an even better story!

Fuchsia Dunlop went to China to study Chinese policy on ethnic minorities, on a British Council grant in 1994. She was working at the BBC. She ended up at Sichuan University in the foreign students wing. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Her Chinese was too poor to do scholarly work, and the topic she had chosen was a "subject fraught with political sensitivities." She ended up writing down her impressions of the food. She had thought about being a professional cook, but that is not where her path lead her. But here, she finds herself curious about Chengdu and the region's food, it's cooks and their kitchens and she tours around asking questions, making friends and writing down recipes. And because China was just beginning to open itself up the world, Fuchsia and her fellow students are a curiosity to the locals too.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is more than just a book about food. It is a story of finding one's place in the world - even if that happens to be China, and creating a life. It is a traveler's journey and Dunlop writes with insight and humor about a time and place that has changed irrevocably since she has been there. And then there is the food. She writes with such knowledge and discription you will be craving Chinese food there after. Makes you wish you went with her. And after reading the book, I guess I did. A very good read.

Colonial Foodies

The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Cuisine By Dave DeWitt


This is a great and concise title on how our founding fathers really were the first foodies in the land. Jefferson and Washington were plantation owners and experimented with crops and vegetables in their particular states. Franklin spent time in France as the U.S. ambassador and definitely enjoyed himself while there! He also was a early supporter of corn. Jefferson used his time in France to discover new plants and vegetables and had some of them brought back to Monticello.

This book goes into detail about food (and drink) during colonial times and how the tavern really helped the growth of the democracy. There is also a lengthy section with recreated recipes. There is a very detailed appendix with historic colonial foodie sites to visit. And perhaps best of all - an extremely detailed bibliography for more books both on Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, but food and living during colonial times. A fun read.

Foodies, This Title is for You!

I'll start by saying right off that I have never had the pleasure of eating at Alinea, and I do not think I have the money to do so either. With that said, let me tell you about chef Grant Achatz's memoir Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant and his business partner Nick Kokonas.

Grant grew up in Michigan in a family that had been in the resturant business a long time. He attended culinary school right out of high school and was working for the chef, Thomas Keller, at the French Laundry by the time he was 22 years old.  Let's talk about drive, here people. I think you can say he has it. His drive led him to work at Trio in Chicago area. One of his best customers was Kokonas. But he really wanted to try something further and the ideas for Alinea were born. 

That is where Kokonas comes in. He partners up with Achatz in his restaurant venture. And he tells his version of the "we are going to build a restaurant" story. And they do. And Achatz and Alinea win acclaim and awards. But he is also diagnosed with tongue cancer. How can a chef taste with out his tongue? 

So it is the story of a vision, food techniques, a partnership, a theatrical presentation (I'm sorry, opening night of a restaurant reminds me of a theater production), a sickness and the drive to get the most out of life while you're still here.  And as a book - it works. Fact is stranger than fiction sometimes. And it seems to have a happy ending - they opened up their latest restaurant venture - Next - and Grant is in remission (I'm sorry, I can't say cancer free- it is bad luck to me.)

Are they perfect people?  No, but they have a unique story to tell and it is done well. So for foodies (and other readers) who like books about challenges and struggles and of course - food, this might be the one for you. A very good read.

Unfamiliar Fishes

Sarah Vowell's book Unfamiliar Fishes has left me with a mixture of sadness, excitement, and questions. Questions about how the United States and its government has left its manifest destiny all over the globe. Excitement, because  - well - I really wanted to visit Hawaii before, but now I really want to go. And sadness, because commerce and greed was the reason that we overthrew the Queen of Hawaii.

This book is about Hawaii, its history and natives, and how the United States took it over. And it is told in Vowell's quirky and wry style.  She goes into depth about the missionaries who came to this wild and unknown land from cold New England. They were not prepared too well for the voyage or for what they would find. But they managed to bring education and helped create a written language for the Hawaiian people. But island life was interrupted by commerce, farming and taking as much from the islands as the newcomers could get.

Vowell is what I would call a uncomfortable historian. (Howard Zinn does the same thing.) She tells you what happened to whom and when. She gives you details from different viewpoints. But what she shows you is that history is messy. Heroes are human. People make bad choices. And it can make the reader uncomfortable in their easy chair.

And perhaps that is the point. We are to question why we are choosing this route; is it really better policy? And for whom? These are things that Americans have forgotten about.These are questions that their ancestors and founding fathers raised and fought about. Today we seem to argue more about television reality shows.

Vowell gives us questions to ponder. And the more we know about history, the better we are to deal with the present. At least I hope so. A very good read.

Here We Go Again: My Life in Television - Betty White Is So Cool!

I have always thought that Betty White was cool. She reminds me of a favorite aunt of mine with her humor and laughter. So maybe that is why I responded so well when I started listening to her audiobook of  Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. And the fact that she reads it doesn't hurt either!

Betty White has been in television since 1949! I had no idea she was such a pioneer. I must admit my TV memories of her are of her playing Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore show in the 70's. But in this memoir you find out about her early days of broadcasting on a daily show for over 6 hours a day, as well as countless variations of the Betty White Show, her regular spots on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar, and her many guest spots on game shows, and talk shows. And then there is MTM and the Golden Girls.

I think anyone who is interested in the history of the television industry would be interested to check out her story. The story is told with good humor (hello! It's Betty White!) But not everything is rosy - she tells the story behind the scenes as well.

My only problem with this audiobook is that it is abridged! (And it does not say it on the container.) I wanted more! Have a listen and laugh. A fun read.

Speak Ill of the Dead: A Camilla MacPhee Mystery

There are times when you finish the first book in a series, when a feeling of excitement comes over you. You have discovered a new author to read! You like the plotting, the character, and setting. It was witty and funny. And it suited your mood perfectly. Ah, the right book at the right time. And then you want to tell everyone about it - but only special people - cause you don't want them to check out all the titles before you...

However in this case, the books in this series might be harder to come by because they are Canadian! (Shocking - I know!) But some libraries have them - the power of interlibrary loan - and can get them for you.

Speak Ill of the Dead by Mary Jane Maffini introduces us to Camilla Mac Phee - a lawyer who runs a justice for victims office. She is feisty woman who has issues with her older sisters (why can't she just find a nice guy and get married), her assistant (who was foisted on her from a work/release program), her nosy and elderly next door neighbor and her best friend (who discovers a body, and collapses and so Camilla has to take in her six cats.)

While she is trying to clear her friend from the charges of murder, she finds out there were many people who had motives to do the deed, for the victim was a famous (and nasty) gossip writer. She discovers the detective on the case has a crush on her sister Alexa, so she pumps him for information, as well as the attractive hotel manager at the hotel where the victim stayed. She gathers information on the other gossip victims and finds evidence of drug use, fat farms and former lovers. And then there is another gruesome victim. (Let me say this is not a cozy! )

In between these goings on, she copes with hiding the cats from the super and her neighbor, and facing those dreaded Sunday night dinners with her family. But her concern for her friend and her determination to solve the case bring her closer and closer to danger.

Camilla is a character you can relate to, her life is not perfect, and she cares about people - even if she is grumbling about them all the way. Maffini writes a nicely plotted mystery and she has come up with some pretty funny and quirky characters. And her descriptions of Ottawa in the spring make it sound lovely.
Sign me up for another one please! A fun and frothy read!

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

Scott has made the transition to high school and found his world spinning. His friends are not in the same classes and their group seems to be separating. His mom and dad have just announced that they are having a baby. His older brother, who he hopes will show him the ropes, keeps leaving home. And he has fallen for a former classmate who now looks like "a goddess." The only place this book worm feels comfortable is in his English class. He gets himself involved with student council, the newspaper and the class musical because he wants to be near his "goddess", but his plans keep back firing. Now he has ended up on the football team’s most wanted list because of some of his articles. It’s a good thing he’s a lowly freshman that nobody knows.

In Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, David Lubar writes with skill and humor to bring the reader, the experience (and the terror and the fear) of being an underclassman. He provides us a great look into Scott’s home life including the pressure he feels with the new baby coming and his anxiety about his changing place in the world. He uses Scott’s writing to his unborn sibling as a chance to show Scott’s sense of humor and his thoughtfulness about being the first in his family that might have a chance to go to college. He deals delicately with the subject of being different by having Scott interact with a quirky cast of characters who are both funny and troubled.

This is a fun book for those who are interested in writing because Lubar does a wonderful job of incorporating Scott’s English class topics within his articles for the school newspaper. This coming of age story is highly recommended for younger readers who are looking for a glimpse of what to expect in high school and it can be enjoyed by those readers who already know high school can be a comedy of errors.  It is a very good read.